Boiler-flue cleaner



WL, mi, 11929. w T ARCHER 1,731,646

BOILER FUE CLEANER Filed Feb. 25, 1927 Patente'd Oct. 15, 1929 UNITED sTATEs PA'l'Errrvorric WILLAM TI'IOIVI'ASV ARCHER, 0F LOSl ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOB', BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF THIRTY-TWO JAMES FERRILL, THIRTY-TWO AND TWO-THIRIDS EER' CENT nnvnonns, Bo'rr: o1 Los ANenLns, GALIFoRNIA, AND' Two PER onrr To L. G. LLArRn, or' HUN'rINs'roN BEACH, ontlromvlal BOILER-FLUE CLEANELR i Application filed February 23', 1927. Serial I\Io.-170,090.v

l My invention relates to a boiler fiue cleaner andihas for its principal object the provlsion of a relatively simple, practical and inexpensive device that may be readily manipulated and which may be advantageously and economically employed in removing soot and other deposits from the inner surfaces of boiler fiues. i t

A further object of my invention is to'prO- vide a boiler flue cleaner of the Character referred to that is made up of 'a plurality of detachably connected sections, thereby minimizing production fcosts and enabling` any part of the device that becomes worn or broken in service to be readily removed and replaced by a new part.

A further obj ectofmy invention is to provide a boiler fiue Cleaner having a main or primary jet nozzle and a series of secondary jet nozzles, the latter being` arranged so that they will direct jets of steam or like fluidpressure medium against the inner surface of the fiue that is being` cleaned andv such jets being materially increasedV in their eifectiveness by the vacuum that is produced .by the discharge of steam or other fluid pressure medium from the main jet nozzle and the dischargeendv of which latter is'located a substantial distance in front of the secondary jet openings.

V'Jith the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangementof parts that will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a boilerflue cleaner constructed in accordance With the principle of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken lengthwise through the center of my improved boiler fiue cleaner and showing` the same in position in the end of a boiler fiue. p

Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on the line 11-4 of Fig. 2.

Beferring by numerals to the accompanyin g drawing, 10 designates a short cylindrical body that functions as the steam head of the device and formed integral with said head and projecting outwardly therefrom, is a short lug 11 having externally arranged wrench receiving faces and this lug'is provided 'with a Chamber 12, the outer portion of which is internallythreaded for the reception of the w a steam supply.

externally threaded end of pipe 13.

In order that the device may be. readily manipulated when used in Cleaning boiler fiues, the vtube 18 may be provided With suitable handles and said tube istconnected to a suitable source of steamsupply (not shown). VHead 10` is providedvvith an internally threaded Chamber that receives the externally threaded enlarged portion 111 of a tubular i member, the Chamber 15' within which functions as an ezzpansion chamber for the steam or fluid pressure medium that isutilizedl foi` boiler flue Cleaning purposes.

A tubular vmember 16"' `s formed integral With-and projects outwardly from the short tubular body 14, the diaineterfiofwhich extension 16 is less than that of the ltubular member 14 and formed in the inclined Wall 17 that connects the members 111 and 1.6,' is, a series of .apertures 18 that occupy angular positions of approximately Vrelative to the aXis of the body comprising the .parts 14tand 16.V In tests and experiments I have found that the best results are attained by providing` six of these jet openings'lS.

Formed through the wall between the chamber 12 in lug`11 and the expansion chamber 15, is a short ,duet 19 that occupies an inclined position of approximately 30 relative to the axis of the device and the discharge end of this duet or jet orifice is positioned so thatl the jet of steam or fluid pressure medium discharging therefrom strikes against the inner surface of member lat that encloses the expansion chamber 15.- The thickness of the wall'immediately over this-inclined duct 19 and between head 10 and lug 11 is reinforced, Vas designated by 19a.

The outer portion ofv tubular membervl is externally thrc-adedv andV receives the inter- -nally threaded end of a et nozzle 20, the latter being,` preferably several inches in length -and its outer'end being' vflared outwardly or vmade bell-shape, as designated by 21.

,AND TVTO-THIRD :PER GENT Toj Vsc When my improved boiler flue Cleaner is in use, it is desii'able that a Comparatively tight joint be produced between the shoulder formed by the inner face of member 10 and the end of the flue in which the device is inserted and to produce this joint, I prefer to arrange on member 14 against the inner face of member 10, a packing ring or gasket such as 22 and which may be formed of asbestos, or suitable composition. Thus when the device is inserted in a flue, the packing ring or gasket bears on the end of said flue and prevents any substantial amount of steam or fluid pressure medium from blowing out- Wardly from the flue toward the person inanipulating the Cleaning device.

In the use of my improved boiler fiue Cleaner, the device is inserted in the end of a flue with the gasket bearing against the end of the flue and when steam or other fluid pressure medium is turned on soas to flow through connection 13, said steam or fluid pressure medium will discharge through the inclined duct 19 and strike against the annular inner face of expansion Chamber 15. The duCt 19 is purposely made inclined so that the jet of` steam flowing therethrough will strike against the inner face of the annular wall 14 and thus the steam will be caused to flow. with a whirling movement within the expansion Chamber 15 and the discharge o-f the steam through the inclined jet openings 18 and the jet nozzle 20 will be equalized. If the steam were to enter the expansion Chamber on an axial line the greater portion of said steam would flow forwardly through the jet nozzle v20 and a relatively small proportion would flow through-the inclined jet openings 18 to produce the jets that are essential in dislodging the soot and like deposits on the inner face of the flue. From the expansion Chamber, a portion of the steam discharges aXially through the opening in tubular member 16 and through the jet nozzle 20 and this steam or fluid pressure medium discharges from the flared or bell-shaped end of the jet nozzle and passes lengthwise through the fiue.

Obviously the flow of this axially disposed jet, and which is traveling at a high Velocity, produces a certain degree of vacuum in the Chamber within the flue that surrounds the nozzle 20 and the smaller portion 16 of the member that encloses the expansion Chamber and the vacuum thus produced creates suction to accelerate to a considerable degree the flow of the jets of steam or fluid pressure through the angularly disposed jet openings 18.'

Due to the angularity of the jet openings 18, the jets of steam or fluid pressure issuing therefrom strike directly against the inner surface of the flue and said steam or fluid pressure medium passes along the inner surface of the flue and Combines with the force of the jet issuing from nozzle 20 to very rapidly and efficiently dislodge and remove all soot and other deposits from the flue, thereby accomplishing the desired results.

A boiler flue Cleaner of my improved Construction is Comparatively simple, is inexpensive of manufacture and may be readily ma- Vnipulated when utilized for Cleaning boiler flues. Inasmuch as the device, while in service, is subject'ed to more or less rough usage, and the steam or other fluid that passes through the device is imder high pressures, I prefer to construct the device in sections or par'ts which may be readily assembled or taken apart and such Construction reduces manufacturing costs and likewise enables any part of the device that may become broken or unfit for service to be readily remo-ved and replaced by a newv part.

It will be understood that minor changes in the size, form and Construction of the various parts of my improved boiler fiue Cleaner may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended Claims,

I Claim as my invention:

1. In a boiler flue Cleaner, a head, one end of which is adapted for connection to a source of fluid pressure supply, a tubular member connected to said head and provided with an expansion Chamber, there being an inclined duet formed in said head for directing a jet of fiuid pressure medium against the inner circumferential surface of said expansion Chamber, there being a series of inclined jet openings formed through the wall of said tubular member and leading from said eX- .pansion Chamber for directing jets of fluid pressure medium outwardly and forwardly from said tubular member and an aXially disposed jet nozzle connected to and projecting from said tubular member.

2. In a boiler'fiue Cleaner, a head adapted for Connection to a source of fluid pressure supply, a tubular member connected to and projecting forwardly from said head, the rear portion of said tubular member having an vexpansion Chamber, there being an inclined duct formed through said head for' directing a jet of fluid pressure against the inner surface of the wall surrounding` said expansion chamber, there being a series of inclined jet openings formed through the wall of the tubular member and leading outwardly and forwardly from said expansion Chamber so as to direct jets of fluid pressure outwardly and forwardly from the intermediate portion of said tubular member, and an aXially disposed jet nozzle projecting forwardly from said tubular member. g.

3. In a boiler flue'cleaner, a head adapted for connection to a source of fluid pressure supply, a tubular member connected to and projecting forwardly from said head, the rear portion of said tubular member having an expansion Chamber, there being an inclined 'duet formed through said head for direeting a jet of fluid pressure against the inner surface of the Wall surrounding said expansion chamber, there being a series of inclined jet openings formed through the Wall of the tubular member and leading outwardly and forwardly from Said expansion Chamber so as to direct jets of fluid pressure outwardly and forwardly 'from the intermediate portion of said tubular member, an aXiaHy disposed jet nozzle projecting 'orwardly 'from said tubular member, Jthere being an annular shoulder ermed between said head and tubular member, and a packing ring carried by said tubuiar member and bearing against said shoulder..

In testimony Whereof I aifix my signature.

VLLIAM THOMAS ARCHER. 

